This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the climatic table collaboration.
With COP15 in Montreal fast approaching, governments are preparing to create biodiversity targets for the next decade. The world has so far could not comply any UN target to halt nature loss, however, awareness of the challenge is greater than ever. Here we examine why this UN meeting is important and how it could herald meaningful action on nature loss.
What is COP15?
Nature is in crisis and for the last three decades, governments have come together to ensure the survival of the species and ecosystems that sustain human civilization. The Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 saw the creation of three conventions: on climate change, desertification and biodiversity. The goal of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is for countries to conserve the natural world, use it sustainably, and share the benefits of its genetic resources.
Every 10 years, governments agree on new targets to protect biodiversity. The last lap was agreed on COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, when governments pledged to halve natural habitat loss and expand nature reserves to 17 percent of the world’s land area by 2020, among other goals. They failed in all respects.
When, where and who is in charge?
In December, the conference of the parties will meet for the 15th time (COP15). the two weeks The summit begins on December 7 in Montreal, although China will hold the presidency of COP15, the first time it has done so for a major UN environmental agreement. The conference was scheduled to take place in Kunming, China, but was postponed after successive pandemic-related delays and concerns about hosting an international summit under Beijing’s zero COVID policy.
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The delegates will arrive in Montreal just a few weeks after the climate COP27 in Egypt. The official text is expected to be approved on December 17, the eve of the World Cup final in Qatar, although negotiations often go beyond the deadline.
how is it different of the weather CPO?
Biodiversity POPs are independent of climate POPs. Climate COPs have a clear focus on limiting global temperature increases to “well below” 2 C above pre-industrial levels, while aiming to limit warming to 1.5 C, as set out in the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Once-in-a-decade plans to protect the natural world and stop its destruction will be decided in Montreal in December. #Biodiversity #COP15
At the moment, the UN biodiversity process does not have an equivalent pole star. Governments will sign up to targets under the three CBD goals: biodiversity conservation; sustainable use of biodiversity; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
The final text of the summit, known as the post-2020 global biodiversity framework It is likely to include more than 20 targets ranging from commitments to crack down on invasive species to complicated rules on the use of synthetic biology.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, is the variety of life on Earth, from the smallest bacteria to the largest mammals. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat depend on it; without plants, there would be no oxygen, and without bees to pollinate, there would be no fruits or nuts.
Countries like Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, and China in particular have incredible concentrations of plants, mammals, fungi, and amphibians in their vast and unique ecosystems. Humanity depends on the healthy functioning of all ecosystems to survive.
Biodiversity is also the basis of the world economy. More than half of global GDP, equivalent to $41.7 trillion, depends on the healthy functioning of the natural world, according to Swiss Re insurance group estimates.
Why should we worry?
The earth is experiencing the greatest loss of life since the dinosaurs, and humans are to blame. The way we mine, pollute, hunt, farm, build and travel is putting at least one million species in danger of extinction, according to scientists. the The sixth mass extinction in geological history has already begunsome scientists claim, with the loss of billions of individual populations.
Unlike changes in climate, which could be reversible even if it takes thousands of years, extinctions are permanent.
Those extinctions have huge side effects. Species must work together in harmony to thrive while providing the essential services humans need to survive. For example, 95 percent of food what we eat is produced in the earth. However, up to 40 percent of the world’s land is severely degraded by unsustainable agricultural practices, according to the UN.
Which species are in trouble?
We are seeing huge declines in wildlife across the board. According to scientists, the number of insects is plummeting, and some say that we are living a “Insect Apocalypse”; more than 500 species of land animals are on the brink of extinction and it is likely to be lost within 20 years; one in five reptiles faces extinction; one in eight bird species are threatened; Y 40 percent of the world’s plant species are at risk.
the The five biggest threats to biodiversity. are the changes in the use of the land and the sea; direct exploitation of natural resources; the climate crisis; pollution and invasive species.
Earth’s wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of 69 percent in just under 50 years, according to a major scientific evaluation. Even if the destruction ended now, it would take five to seven million years for the natural world to recover, the researchers warn.
What happened in the last nature? POLICEMAN?
Governments have never met any of the targets they have set for themselves in the history of the UN convention on biological diversity. From tackling pollution to protecting coral reefs, the international community failed to fully achieve any of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets agreed at COP10 in Japan in 2010. It was a similar story in the previous decade.
However, much has changed since 2010 and the paris climate agreement, despite its flaws, restored some faith in UN processes to protect the environment. There is still hope that COP15 could be nature’s “Paris moment”.
how could POLICEMAN15 help stop biodiversity loss?
The 21 draft goals to be negotiated in Montreal include proposals to eliminate plastic pollution, cut pesticide use by two-thirds, cut the rate of invasive species introduction in half, and eliminate billions of pounds in harmful environmental government subsidies. The goals also include reducing the current rate of extinctions by 90 percent, improving the integrity of all ecosystems, valuing nature’s contribution to humanity, and providing the financial resources to achieve this vision.
What are the big problems?
As with the climate negotiations, there are significant divisions between the Global North and the Global South and the fault lines center around four big issues: money, 30×30 (a goal to protect 30 percent of land and sea by 2030) , target tracking , and a row on digital footage information related to biopiracy.
Momentum has built around the goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by the end of the decade, but concerns remain that the Rights of indigenous peoples will not be protected.
World leaders like Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeau and Ursula von der Leyen they have attached a lot of importance to COP15 to halt biodiversity loss, but many developing countries say they need more money if they want to expand protected areas and grow their economies in a less destructive way than their wealthy counterparts.
a row above how countries are compensated for drug discoveries and other commercial projects using digital versions it is also a sticking point, with the African group warning it will not sign anything unless there is an agreement on digital sequence information (DSI) in the final framework.
What are we waiting for?
A positive final agreement that will be ambitious enough to halt nature’s decline, but modest enough to make the goals attainable. There are many quick wins available: eradication of invasive species on the islands, crackdown on pollution, money for restoration efforts, but it will ultimately depend on the will of heads of state. COP15 will be the time to turn rhetoric into action and become a key part of the UN’s broader ambition for humans to live in harmony with nature by 2050.